What’ up! Ilana here. So in a previous post Lily talked about SET and how we would all be talking about our favorite games (Yay). I’m here to tell you about my favorite game, Chess. Chess has been my favorite game since I was seven years old, I even joined a Chess Club when I was nine. Playing Chess has always been… intriguing… to me anyway. How the other people strategize and how their thoughts effect their playing. I especially enjoy playing against more experienced players so that I can piggy back off them and use some of their strategies in future games.
Playing with children has a good effect on their thought process, especially during math. For children or adults Chess is a good way to build perspective, improve memory and cognitive abilities, strategic thinking and attention improvement, fight Dementia, helps ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), and can improve mental age by up to 14 years, wow, and here I thought it was was just fun!
Not only does Chess have all of these positive helper thingies, it comes in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Chess is one of the most helpful games I have ever played.It’s a bonding game for sibling to sibling, and parent to child. You can find helpful games and not even know it, I think it’s creepy, you know when you have a favorite game and you don’t know it is helpful ‘till somebody tells you… creepy. Yeah, now see if you can get a Chess board and start playing today.
Hello! Lily here! So, fun fact, my family is pretty competitive. Sometimes it’s fun, other times… Not so much. Escape Rooms turn into Panic Rooms (Even though we are ON THE SAME TEAM! Yes, I’m talking to you Mother), what was a nice Saturday evening game, turns into a war (that usually turns out with one of my parents winning). But there are times where its merely some healthy competition, where it’s a calm ‘I’m gonna beat you’ Instead of ‘YOU’RE GOING DOWN!’….. Just imagine game night with competitive guests…. So, being that we play board games enough that I know exactly which ones to stay quiet during, the next few posts are going to be about each family member’s favorite game.
We have stacks upon stacks of board games pilled up throughout our house, and even with all these different games, SET is the only one I can beat my family in about 98% of the time. Risk, I come in third most of the time. Ticket to Ride, I’m lucky if I make the top three. Monopoly, Catan, Sorry, the list goes on and on. All of these games I will win once in a blue moon. Now, this post isn’t about how, in comparison to half the people in my family, I am really bad at board games. Its about my favorite game, and its not my favorite because it’s the one game I rock at (again in comparison to my family).
SET is a game where you have to find groups of three out of twelve cards that are laid out. You’re probably picturing it and thinking ‘Oh, that sounds easy!’… wrong. These cards have different amount of shapes, in different shades, and different colors. Your goal as a player is going through categories that will, usually, point out where the set is. The categories are: Shape, is it a diamond, squiggle, or oval? Color, is it red, green, or purple? And finally amount, does it have one, two, or three shapes. Now within each category these can all be the same or all different. There can’t be two purples and a green or one diamond and two squiggles. Your brain has to try to connect the set before the other people playing can shout the word “set” and collect the cards (it’s probably a good comparison to Sudoku but more tactile). The winner is the one who has found the most sets of three out of 81 cards.
I really enjoy brain games such as, puzzles, Sudoku, and SET (and any other games that will make you stop for a second and question the entire universe). I like problem solving, if you have a knotted up string I will gladly undo it, the calming way your mind will connect the dots is one of my favorite feelings. We found out about SET a few months ago from a friend, we went over to their house and started playing. She was incredible. As much as my family will compliment me and say that I’m super good at the game, she could most likely beat me with only minimal effort. And that is SET in a nutshell. Hours of fun at your fingertips.
Among other activities that we’ll be talking about in other posts (coming soon), we wanted to get physically active again. However, it wasn’t always easy to get a decent workout in during 2020. Then, during 2021, there’s been so much to catch up on, that it hasn’t been easy to find time to exercise. While some folks still found a way to prioritize their own physical fitness, many could not. This led to the so-called COVID 19 (lbs). While I didn’t stack on that much weight personally, I did notice that I was out of shape. Everyone in our family was affected in some way or another by experiencing some form of decline in their fitness.
Therefore, we decided to challenge ourselves with a 30-day fitness challenge. This challenge looks like several other similar challenges our there—a 30 day workout program is supposed to either yield a certain result after 30 days, or the program lasts long enough to build a habit. In our case, this program is meant to jump start our workout program while giving us all an activity we can do together.
Our 30 day challenge is shown below. We’ll start on Monday. Will we all make it to day 30?
Defeating the COVID 19 (lbs) In 30 Days
NOTE: Target number of repetitions for each exercise (I.e. 20 push-ups) does have to be accomplished in one set. Take breaks as necessary until you reach the target number of repetitions, then move onto the next exercise.
1) 20 minute walk 5 x 30 second plank holds 5 x 30 second Superman holds
2) 20 air squats 30 walking lunges 20 calf raises, 20 second calf raise hold 5 x 30 second plank holds 5 x 30 second Superman holds
3) 20 minute walk 20 push-ups 20 resistance band overhead press 20 resistance band or TRX rows
4) 25 air squats 30 good mornings 30 walking lunges 30 calf raises, 20 second calf raise hold 5 x 30 second plank holds 5 x 30 second Superman holds
5) 20 minute walk 25 push-ups 35 resistance band overhead press 25 resistance band or TRX rows 5 x 30 second plank holds 5 x 30 second Superman holds
6) 5 x 90 second rounds shadowboxing (60 seconds between rounds)
7) 5 min jog/15 min brisk walk 10 bicycle crunch 6 x 30 sec plank holds 6 x 30 second Superman holds
8) 30 air squats 40 walking lunges 35 calf raises, 20 second calf raise hold 6 x 30 second plank holds 6 x 30 second Superman holds
9) 5 minute jog/15 minute brisk walk 30 push-ups 30 resistance band overhead press 30 resistance band or TRX rows
10) 35 air squats 35 good mornings 40 walking lunges 40 calf raises, 20 second calf raise hold 6 x 30 second plank holds 6 x 30 second Superman holds
11) 5 minute jog/15 minute brisk walk 35 push-ups 35 resistance band overhead press 35 resistance band or TRX rows 7 x 30 second plank holds 7 x 30 second Superman holds
12) Bicycle ride or walk for 30 minutes (low intensity)
13) 10 min jog/10 min brisk walk 20 bicycle crunch 7 x 30 sec plank holds 7 x 30 second Superman holds
14) 40 air squats 40 good mornings 45 walking lunges 45 calf raises, 20 second calf raise hold 7 x 30 second plank holds 7 x 30 second Superman holds
15) 10 minute jog/10 minute brisk walk 40 push-ups 40 resistance band overhead press 40 resistance band or TRX rows
16) 45 air squats 40 good mornings 50 walking lunges 50 calf raises, 20 second calf raise hold 8 x 30 second plank holds 8 x 30 second Superman holds
17) 10 minute jog/10 minute brisk walk 45 push-ups 45 resistance band overhead press 45 resistance band or TRX rows 8 x 30 second plank holds 8 x 30 second Superman holds
18) 5 x 90 second rounds shadowboxing (60 seconds between rounds)
19) 15 min jog/5 min brisk walk 30 bicycle crunch 8 x 30 sec plank holds 8 x 30 second Superman holds
20) 50 air squats 25 kettlebell swings 55 walking lunges 55 calf raises, 20 second calf raise hold 9 x 30 second plank holds 9 x 30 second Superman holds
21) 15 minute jog/5 minute brisk walk 50 push-ups 50 resistance band overhead press 50 resistance band or TRX rows 25 resistance band or TRX bicep curls
22) 55 air squats 30 kettlebell swings 60 walking lunges 60 calf raises, 20 second calf raise hold 9 x 30 second plank holds 9 x 30 second Superman holds
23) 15 minute jog/5 minute brisk walk 55 push-ups 55 resistance band overhead press 55 resistance band or TRX rows 30 resistance band or TRX bicep curls 9 x 30 second plank holds 9 x 30 second Superman holds
24) Bicycle ride or walk for 45 minutes (low intensity)
25) 20 min jog/5 min brisk walk 40 bicycle crunch 10 x 30 sec plank holds 10 x 30 second Superman holds
26) 60 air squats 35 kettlebell swings 65 walking lunges 65 calf raises, 20 second calf raise hold 10 x 30 second plank holds 10 x 30 second Superman holds
27) 20 minute jog/5 minute brisk walk 60 push-ups 60 resistance band overhead press 60 resistance band or TRX rows 35 resistance band or TRX bicep curls
28) 45 air squats 40 good mornings 50 walking lunges 50 calf raises, 20 second calf raise hold 10 x 30 second plank holds 10 x 30 second Superman holds
29) 20 minute jog/5 minute brisk walk 65 push-ups 65 resistance band overhead press 65 resistance band or TRX rows 40 resistance band or TRX bicep curls 5 x 60 second plank holds 5 x 60 second Superman holds
30) 5 x 90 second rounds shadowboxing (60 seconds between rounds)
We all have our own struggles in life. Some of us might deal with long-standing issues that hit at the core of who we are—whether the result from family matters, identity crisis, or a tragic event that has lasting effects on our lives, even years later. Others of us might be forced to deal with more external challenges that might result from illness, divorce, a death in the family, etc. However, we all have a certain level of reaction and resiliency that we possess that determine how we’ll react and deal with the situation at-hand.
I can say that I’ve been fortunate, so far. I’ve not had very many of what I’d consider those ground-shaking events that made me think that I couldn’t possibly go on. That is not to say that I haven’t had moments of crisis in my life. I’ve dealt with divorce. I’ve seen close friends who had let their lifestyle determine their “death style”. I’ve had to deal with losing people I knew to suicide, and I’ve had to console and support colleagues, as they dealt with those same challenges. I’ve known and lost people to illness that took them too soon, or I’ve witnessed the struggle as they try to go on in spite of their circumstances.
However, if I apply the law of averages to my life, perhaps I’ve “been playing with house money”, as I’ve mostly been more indirectly affected by those kinds of crises (or been dealt only a glancing blow). So the question becomes, how will I react and what would I do if I found myself staring face-to-face with some of life’s possible catastrophic events? Only a truly heartless person could force themself to be unaffected, and suppressing the hurt, sadness, and/or anger could make things worse. Then, even though I’ve never been in a situation where I felt that the only solution was to take my own life…other people struggle with that feeling and still others have succumbed to that feeling.
As I write this, my goal is not to say that everything will be ok, or that “when the going gets tough, the tough get going”. I’m trying to acknowledge that there are really difficult situations that people deal with, and that the pain that people feel when dealing with hard times is real. However, I also want to point out that some people have been able to persevere and overcome these situations.
I worry about how to give my family this strength when they need it. Thinking that you have to deal with hard times alone often takes you down the harder path. Knowing that you have support from others greatly enhances your ability to overcome these types of obstacles. I want to make sure that my family knows that I’m here for them. Also, I do feel like they’ll be there for me when I need them, so I think it’s important to be prepared to do the same for them. As my family started our blog to document our efforts to try to become closer—to mend old hurts and feel less isolated from each other—I want them to know that it’s important that we’re also here for each other and that we can make it through tough times together.
I’ve been listening to a podcast called “The Grit Theory”—this podcasts showcases people who overcame difficult situations, and tries to remind us that it is possible to overcome adversity and triumph over hard times. While still relatively new, the podcast has featured a variety of people, with different backgrounds, who’ve had to overcome different challenges. After listening, I’ve often asked myself how I would deal with a certain situation if it was me versus the person telling the story. What could I learn from the guest sharing their story and experience?
I’d like to think that even by pausing a moment to think about it now, that I’ll be able to make a better choice of what to say, what to do when faced with a moment of crisis or tragedy than if I went out of my way to avoid such topics because they may not be pleasant. Also, if I’m able to think and react better, then it benefits the family as well—whether by setting a good example or instilling strength in my family members.
What would you do when faced with difficulty? If you know what you would do, do you wish that you had the ability, the will, or the presence of mind to take a different option? If so, may I propose that you check out “The Grit Theory” and then try to empathize with the hosts, guests, and stories being told. Perhaps some little nugget of wisdom from those shared experiences will guide you through your own struggles or when times of crisis hit. Finally, if anyone is willing to share a difficult situation they’ve had to deal with and how they persevered, please share with us. Your story could become the inspiration for someone else to deal with their own crisis or struggle.
How do you spend quality time with your family? Do you like to go on a day long outing or going for a drive? Maybe it’s a full out trip to Disney World? One of the things we really like to do as a family is going to escape rooms. We have found a really awesome one that we go to in Colorado called Locked In Escapes and have completed ALL of their current rooms. We are awaiting…somewhat patiently…for the next two rooms to become available! This being said, for Lily’s 14th birthday we surprised her with an escape room. All of my kids are problem solvers and love puzzles and thinking outside of the box. This type of game meets their strengths in the way that it challenges them to think a bit creatively.
We ended up doing not one, but TWO escape rooms for Lily’s birthday. The second one we did, I think Sadie will be writing about, as she got to sit in the “control room” and see the inner workings. They have a “Darkness Falls” room that we were not sure how our younger two kids would handle the “creepiness” factor. Overall, I think they would have been ok, but hindsight is 20/20 AND Sadie got to see the other side of the escape room including setting it up. The first room….we died in an explosion….the second room…we escaped with just minutes to spare.
I am sure escape rooms are not for everyone, but it is most definitely a fun way to spend some family time in a unique way. If you have not been to an escape room and you are either really competitive or you like to challenge your mind with problem solving….let me tell you… escape rooms are an amazing date night or family adventure! Just do not be like me and get OVERLY competitive and snap at the kids. Not quite sure how my kids put up with my competitive nature as none of them are overly competitive, but the challenge for them must supersede the off-putting nature of my need to solve the puzzle in the time allotted
While we wait for the next rooms to open up, we did get an interactive book game called Journal29 from Locked In Escapes that we will be starting tonight! There are 63 puzzles to solve in the book. How many days will it take for us to get through them? Will we pile it on and do them all in a matter of days or will we be able to limit ourselves to just one a day? What would you do? Also, have you been to an escape room that you would recommend in your area? If so, we would love to know where as we are planning on some future road trips and would love to know of some amazing stops along the way!
Hi I’m Sadie. I did one of the most incredible things, I made ice cream! It was super awesome. But to get to the point l want to tell you about how much fun it is and how to make it . So first things first, I am going to tell you the instructions and the ingredients. You should get your measuring cups and spoons because you’ll need 4-6 cups of ice, then you will need 6 tablespoons kosher or rock salt (plus an extra half pinch for the ice cream, I tried a pinch it was a little too salty). AND THEN you’ll need 1 tablespoon of sugar, and 1 1/2 cups of half and half. You will need 1/2 teaspoon of Vanilla extract. (Feel free to smell it. It smells delicious, but when he was a kid, my dad learned the hard way not to drink it! 😂). You can add other goodies like fruit or other flavors and food coloring. Last thing you will need are 3 ziplock bags: 1 pint-size and 2 gallon-size bags. Put one of the big bags into the second big bag to make a double-liner to prevent leaks. Fill the big gallon-size bag with ice till it’s half full of the ice and then pour your 6 tablespoons of salt in there. Shake it up and set it aside. Put the half and half, sugar, vanilla extract, and half pinch of salt into the small bag and close it tight and make sure there are no air gaps! Then, put the small bag with the ice cream mix into the big bag with the ice, tucking the small bag into the ice (make sure it’s surrounded by the ice). Shake it up for 5 minutes and you will have ice cream 🍦
The most important thing is to get some quality time with friends and family who can help you. But the fun part is that you can flavor it up with some yummy food😋 (says me who has made this once). You can make as many as you want for your friends and family and have fun. And you can make a yummy dish 🍨 after dinner 🥗🥖. I love ice cream, yum yum! I hope you have fun doing this fun activity.
So…I was connected to an online programming website for kids that you could share your programs with and talk to the other kids. My parents told me that they didn’t want me to talk to the kids on the website. I didn’t think of the danger until I watched “The Social Dilemma”. It was a serious movie. It is like a documentary that is about addiction to social media. It helps tell you of how people get sucked in and the reasons why these big tech companies want you to stay sucked in.
One of things that bothered me was to see how so many people want to look like the filters on their phone and that even teens want cosmetic procedures. There is even a name that doctors came up for this new syndrome called “Snapchat dysmorphia.” The big thing I really got out of this was how many kids are affected. It seems that while the adults seem to have problems too, people my age are targeted and that they do not have any idea about it. It was a good movie and it contains a lot of facts to help you understand the dangers and the way social media works.
The movie was made recently, and it talked about how news can spread fast but that it may not be true. For example, I was shaken because based off of YouTube videos, people have been convinced that the Earth is flat! 😦 Wow I’m so proud of this century (I say this with all the sarcasm in the world). The algorithm shows you different results based on where you live or what you search 🔍. AND, you can get different results than another person who lives in your same area!
I miss the social interaction though it might be better not to go back to the online stuff because it can be used to make you become a rude😤, snobby🤮, or unhappy person 😥 if people tell you some lies, or troll you. My parents deleted my account and made me watch “The social dilemma” to show me some of the problems with social media. After watching The Social Dilemma, even though I FEEL like I had real connections, I KNOW they may not have been authentic—or that the other kids might not have even thought they were connections at all. However, now more than ever, it feels like we all are disconnected from each other, our friends, our family, and ourselves even. It’s affecting not only children, but…well, everyone. We all have to limit the staring at the screens and help make sure people are safe on social media, and we have to stop not paying attention to what’s going on, and not paying attention to the family. How will you spend time with your family today? Will you watch The Social Dilemma too?🤔.
-Ilana 💋
P.S. I wasted my time on social media and I want to tell you don’t waste your time on social media when you have time to make real connections with your family and friends. 😏😀😉😎🤙🥳🥳🥳
Wow! I am not sure where to start. We are really new at this, and trying to work on consistency as we know it is “key”, however, sometimes it is really like herding cats….or better yet, squirrels! So, I figured I would share what is new! As my husband said in the last post, we went to our previous location and emptied the storage unit we had. It really did add more to our clutter….and we REALLY do have WAY too much stuff. However, when going back, we also came home with an addition to our household members! Lily’s friend came and stayed with us for about 3 or 4 weeks….and then, we dropped Lily off last week for a 2 week vacation with Darby. So, life should normalize in about a week! However, since the time we decided to do this family blog, I wanted to update you on our changes! We made cold process soap, did a crafting challenge, played lots of games, had movie nights, talked as a family…..alot, and I am sure there is more…. which I am ALMOST sure my kids will start blogging about some of these experiences!
Our bracelets–there was a flaw in the way the chain was designed and Roger, my awesome friend at R&R Signature Jewel, let me know they were working on fixing it. There is a focal part to the bracelet, but the way the chain was designed, the focal part kept flipping. I am so thankful to the attention to detail that they are giving our bracelets! However, we did receive a picture of the current status…and I am just SOOOOOO excited! I cannot wait for their arrival, although I am also happy that Roger is making sure we get the best possible result!
Decluttering–a lifelong work in progress. Even our 3 year old is participating. I do not know how we have accrued so much stuff….but we really did. Every time I fill a bag/box to trash or donate, accordingly I feel a weight lifted. We still have a long way to go, but we are trying to do a little each day as to not feel totally overwhelmed.
We have a whiteboard full of ideas and challenges that we want to do. Some are absolutely terrifying to me… nothing like skydiving, but creating content to start a Youtube channel would be one of them. Well, creating content does not scare me. However, starting a Youtube channel does. We want to do a lot more sewing and crafting, but are also looking at potentially building a gaming computer, Ilana wants to start coding video games, as well as create a solar panel. I want to go to some homesteads and learn about people who take care of things like bees, goats, and chickens as I find these things fascinating! If I can get my family on board, I also want to make cheese and yogurt…. they are a little less enthused than me. 😉
But seriously, here is the real update: We spend time together. While there is still arguing (not sure that will ever fully stop) and fighting, everyone hangs out together. There is no more hours on end (outside of sleep) spent in rooms by our lonesomes. We are privy to a lot more “shining eyes”–a term I am just now becoming familiar with–regarding true happiness. We are talking more and laughing more. While I cannot give all the credit to this blog, I do believe that it plays a huge factor in our current pathway to family bonding. I would love to hear about some of your family stories or some of your thoughts on ours.
We’ll tell you our story, you write your own!
When big sister helps little brother learn to ride a bike!
We were stunned at the amount of stuff we had to unload. We had just pulled up to our new home with a 24’ U-Haul and a 12’ box trailer full of all of our belongings and we knew the daunting task that lie ahead of us—unloading all of our stuff and fitting it all in our new home. Then, we still had to arrange another trip to get stuff that we had to leave in storage at our last location because we ran out of room in the truck/trailer!
Granted, we are a large family. However, the reality is that we had accumulated too much stuff over time. This became undeniable as we unloaded furniture…then appliances…then clothes….then toys, tools, books, books, more books, cookware, dishes, holiday decorations…the list goes on. Finally, our house was full. The truck and trailer were finally unloaded, but our house was almost too full. We had more things than would reasonably fit into all the rooms. The basement and the garage were also full of boxes that were mostly filled with items we didn’t account for or things we had collected but hadn’t seen or touched in years.
Then, we decided to start clearing space in the garage and basement so that we could use them for something other than storage. We decided to part with some of the things that we had been dragging around with us for a long time. We knew we needed to downsize and part with some of our possessions in order to find some organization and reduce the amount of mess that we found ourselves dealing with too often.
It’s sort of interesting, experiencing and observing the emotions that we go through when we part with something that we used to place a greater amount of value on—the struggle to commit to let things go (whether to be donated or discarded). However, what was also somewhat unexpected that as we were “lightening our load”, we actually felt lighter—a sort of relief that I’ve not yet found a fitting description for.
Our effort to downsize is still ongoing and we aren’t close to finished. I will say that while I don’t see us going full-on “minimalist”, I can certainly appreciate not being so weighed down by things I don’t need anymore. I can also appreciate the extra room to let the kids grow into the newly freed space. We are all learning to make do with a little less, and we’re also learning to appreciate what we still have—the things that truly matter to us—a little more.
Lately I’ve been seeing people talking about ‘thrift flipping’ and, since my family dresses modestly and it’s been getting harder to find modest clothing in stores, we decided that we should make our own clothing. My mom and I went to a thrift store and I found a few pairs of jeans, a bit to big for myself, and immediately thought of making a denim skirt.
Of course, as any excited child would, as soon as we got home I started tearing apart the poor, unsuspecting jeans with some itty bitty scissors and cut a waist for the skirt. Over the span of a week I had taken apart one pair of jean, and started on the next.
Honestly, I did not know that simply tearing some seams would take so long. I spent a good 6.5 hours in total, at least, just sitting on the floor with some scissors and a pair of jeans, I hadn’t even started sticking the pins in. Eventually I had both pairs of jeans cut into 8 panels and everything pinned and ready to sew!
The sewing took me only two days, (and part of that’s cause I ran out of thread and broke a needle…oops). After I had the waist and all of the panels sewn I had to attach the waist to the skirt.
Attaching the skirt to the waist was probably the hardest part for me. Not all of it was even and there were some parts that stuck out from the rest of the skirt. However, this was only my first attempt at making a skirt and there were definitely some lessons learned during the process, but I don’t think it turned out so bad.
Birds of a Feather Stuck Together 
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